Cigarette Tobacco Filler Device

Abstract

A cigarette tobacco filler device includes a cigarette tobacco loader for loading tobacco leaves into a tobacco receiving cavity, wherein the cigarette tobacco loader includes a loader body and a loader arrangement. The loader body has a loading cavity and a loading opening aligned with the tobacco receiving cavity. The loader arrangement includes a loading pusher movably supported by the loader body to move between first and second positions, and a loader handle pivotally coupled at the loader body to move the loading pusher between said first and second positions. At the first position, a loading gap is formed between the pusher end of the loading pusher and the loading opening for receiving the tobacco leaves within the loading gap. At the second position, the pusher end of the loading pusher is driven for pushing the tobacco leaves within the loading gap into the tobacco receiving cavity.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE OF RELATED APPLICATION

This is a Continuation-In-Part application that claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 to a first non-provisional application, application Ser. No. 13/374,219, filed Dec. 15, 2011, and a second non-provisional application, application Ser. No. 13/507,774, filed Jul. 26, 2012, which a Continuation application that claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 to a non-provisional application, application Ser. No. 12/584, 110, filed Aug. 31, 2009, which is a non-provisional application of a to provisional application having an application No. 61/209,953 and a filing date of Mar. 11, 2009.

NOTICE OF COPYRIGHT

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to any reproduction by anyone of the patent disclosure, as it appears in the United States Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.

BACKGROUND OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

1. Field of Invention

The present invention relates to a cigarette making machine, and more particular to a cigarette tobacco filler device, which is easy to operate by pivotally moving down an operation handle to actuate the plunger for filling the tobacco into the cigarette tube.

2. Description of Related Arts

The cigarettes consumed by people are normally manufactured by factories and are sold in market. A cigarette is a paper wrapped tube stuffed with finely cut tobacco leaves. Generally the tobacco leaves are cured and processed with addictives. There are many tastes and brands of cigarettes people can select because of the different types of tobacco leaves, different cure processes and addictives. But still some people want to smoke their own tobaccos.

For those people using their own tobaccos, they have to prepare their own cigarettes by rolling the paper to wrap their cut tobacco leaves inside. Doing this by hands takes a lot of time, and it is also difficult to stuff the tobacco leaves with a uniform and proper compactness. If the tobacco leaves are wrapped too compressed, it is difficult to smoke; if the tobacco leaves are wrapped too loose, it is easy to drop the tobacco leaves 40, and get the cigarette extinguished.

Currently there are machines can help people to make cigarettes with their own tobaccos, but there are some problems preventing these machine be used conveniently. Some of these machines still need the user to use hands. For example, a manual crank-type machine can be operated manually by filling the tobacco leaves into the crank nozzle such that when the crank nozzle is inserted into the cigarette paper tube, the tobacco leaves loaded therein. The advantage of the manual crank-type machine is that the tobacco leaves will not be shred when the tobacco leaves are loaded in the cigarette paper tube. However, one of the drawbacks of the manual crank-type machine is that the injection is not automatic. The user has to use both hands and provides force. It is not convenient to use. Another drawback is that the tobacco leaves cannot be evenly loaded within the cigarette paper tube such that compactness of the cigarette is not uniform.

Some machines are driven by electric power. The tobacco leaves are injected automatically. But the problem is the size of this kind of machine is large. Particularly, the length of this kind of machine has to be more two times of the length of a cigarette. For example, such automatic machine generally has a chamber to contain tobaccos which will be injected into the cigarette paper tube. In order to fulfill the cigarette paper tube, the volume of the chamber is the same or little larger than the cigarette paper tube, and the length of the chamber is the same or a little longer than the length of the cigarette paper tube. At one end of the chamber is a nozzle which is inserted into one open end of the cigarette paper tube. At the other end of the chamber is a piston to inject the tobaccos inside the chamber into the paper tube through the nozzle. The piston is driven by a driving shaft, for example, as worm shaft. Because the piston will slide through the chamber from one end to another to push the tobacco leaves into the cigarette paper tube, the driving shaft at least has to be the same length as the length of the chamber. When the tobacco leaves are loaded into the chamber, the driving shaft has to stay outside the chamber and align with the chamber longitudinally. Considering the driving mechanism, the total length of this machine must be longer than the length of the driving shaft plus the length of the chamber which is at least two times of the length of a cigarette.

Another type of automatic machine incorporates with a spiral nozzle for delivering the tobacco leaves into the cigarette paper tube. However, when the spiral nozzle is rotated for delivering the tobacco leaves, the tobacco leaves will be shred into small pieces within the cigarette paper tube. Therefore, when the cigarette is lightened, the cigarette ash cannot be held properly while smoking. It is a hassle for the smoker to hold the cigarette steadily to prevent the cigarette ash from falling everywhere. In other words, if the cigarette ash can be held properly by not shredding the cigarette leaves in the cigarette paper tube, the smoker can easily and precisely flick the cigarette ash in the ashtray.

A conventional cigarette machine generally comprises an injection device received in a casing and a manually actuation device for actuating the injection device. The injection device comprises a plunger being actuated by the actuation device for filling a predetermined amount of tobacco into an empty cigarette tube.

The injection device comprises a tobacco receiving chamber provided on a top side of the casing 10A for receiving an sufficient amount of tobacco, wherein when the plunger 11A is actuated, the tobacco in the tobacco receiving chamber is pushed by the plunger 11A and is filled into the cigarette tube. In particular, a window 18A is provided at the top side of the casing 10A and is actuated by the actuation device to enclose the tobacco receiving chamber. The window 18A has a sharp cutting edge arranged in such a manner that when the window 18A is moved to enclose the tobacco receiving chamber, the cutting edge of the window 18A is moved to cut the excessive amount of tobacco out of the tobacco receiving chamber so as to retain the sufficient tobacco therein for one single cigarette tube.

Furthermore, the actuation device comprises a rotatable handle 12A rotatably coupled on a top side of the casing 10A and an actuation link connected between the rotatable handle and the plunger 11A, as shown in FIG. 2A. The rotatable handle 12A is rotated on the top side of the casing 10A at the same planer direction to provide dual action operation, as shown in FIG. 1. In other words, the rotatable handle 12A is rotated to actuate the window 18A for closing the tobacco receiving chamber first and then to actuate the plunger 11A for pushing the tobacco into the cigarette tube. The actuation device comprises a cam 13A driven by the rotatable handle 12A, a window link connected between the cam and the window 18A, and a plunger link connected between the cam 13A and the plunger 11A. The window link comprises a transverse link 14A and a plurality of longitudinal links 15A. The plunger link comprises a plunger actuation arm 16A connected to the plunger 11A.

The rotatable handle 12A is rotated resulting in a corresponding rotary movement in axle and integrally attached cam, wherein the rotary movement of cam 13A urges the transverse link 14A to move. The longitudinal links 15A are rotatably pivoted at one end to the transverse link 14A to actuate the window 18A for closing the tobacco receiving chamber, as shown in FIG. 2B.

Once the window 18A is actuated to close the tobacco receiving chamber, the rotatable handle 12A is kept rotating to actuate the plunger actuation arm 16A. The rotatable movement of the plunger actuation arm 16A is transmitted to move the plunger 11A in a linear movement. A compression spring 17A is connected to the plunger actuation arm 16A to pull the plunger actuation arm 16A back to its original position so as to move the plunger 11A back in a linear movement.

The cam 13A has an arc-shaped guiding channel 131A, wherein the driving end of the transverse link 14A is guided to slide along the guiding channel 131A. In particular, when the cam 13A is rotated, the driving end of the transverse link 14A is slid from the closed end of the guiding channel 131A to the opened end thereof. Therefore, the transverse link 14A is guided to move linearly so as to move the window 18A in a longitudinally linear movement through the longitudinal links 15A. Once the driving end of the transverse link 14A is slid out of the guiding channel 131A, the plunger actuation arm 16A is started to be driven by the rotary movement of the cam 13A. In other words, the cam 13A with the guiding channel 131A provides the dual action operation for the window 18A and the plunger 11A. However, the conventional cigarette machine has several drawbacks.

The casing 10A cannot be stably placed on a surface, such as a table surface, when the rotatable handle 12A is actuated. Since the rotatable handle 12A is driven to rotate above the top side of the casing 10A, the rotatable force at the rotatable handle 12A will be transmitted not only to the cam 13A but also the casing 10A. In particular, the rotation of the rotatable handle 12A by the user's hand is not ergonomic actuation to optimize the force applied by the user. Therefore, the casing 10A will be unstably moved on the surface. In addition, the rotatable handle 12A is rotated to drive two different mechanisms, i.e. the window link and the plunger link, to operate two different rotatable forces at one single continuous motion. Even though a frictional support is provided at the bottom side of the casing 10A to support on the surface, the two different rotatable forces will create different torques to the casing 10A to move the casing 10A on the surface. Therefore, the casing 10A will be moved no matter how the user holds the casing 10A tightly.

Furthermore, the rotatable movement of the cam 13A via the rotatable handle 12A will be transmitted to two different linear movements at different directions. The first linear movement is the longitudinal movement of the window 18A and the second linear movement is the transverse movement of the plunger 11A. Accordingly, the rotatable force at the cam 13A must be large enough to transmit to both the longitudinal force and the transverse force to actuate the window 18A and the plunger 11A respectively. Once one of the window link and the plunger link is broken, the entire machine will not be operated at all. Especially the pivot connection between the transverse link 14A and the longitudinal link 15A of the window link is the weakest connection among the mechanisms, the excessive rotatable force will break the pivot connection easily. Since the cam 13A is located away from the window 18A, the rotatable force from the cam 13A must be transmitted to the longitudinal force through the transverse link 14A and the longitudinal link 15A. However, the longitudinal force may not be able to evenly apply to the window 18A. Therefore, the closing action at the window 18A will not be smooth due to the uneven pivotal movements of the longitudinal links 15A.

The window 18A is remained at opened position when the machine is not in use. Accordingly, dust or other particles will be accumulated in the tobacco receiving chamber and will mix with the tobacco. In addition, the sharp cutting edge of the window 18A will be exposed resulting in any accidentally injury. In other words, there is no locking mechanism to lock up the window 18A at the closed position when the machine is not in use.

Since the compression spring 17A is kept loading to pull the plunger 11A back to its original position, the fatigue life of the compression spring 17A will be substantially shortened. Accordingly, the transverse force at the plunger 11A must overcome the spring force in order to push the plunger 11A forward. Then, the plunger 11A is pulled back by the spring force. In particular, the compression spring 17A is mounted to the plunger actuation arm 16A. When the plunger actuation arm 16A is pivotally moved to transmit the rotatable force to the transverse force at the plunger 11A, the compression spring 17A will be stretched unevenly. In other words, the compression spring 17A is stretched by the pivotal movement of the plunger actuation resulting in shortening the service life span of the compression spring 17A.

Another drawback of the conventional cigarette machine is that the user must load the tobacco leaves into the tobacco receiving chamber manually. Accordingly, the user generally uses the finger tips to press the tobacco leaves into the tobacco receiving chamber, such that uneven pressures at the finger tips will be applied on the tobacco leaves. In other words, some tobacco leaves will be tightly pressed into the tobacco receiving chamber while some tobacco leaves will be loosely disposed into the tobacco receiving chamber. When the tobacco leaves in the tobacco receiving chamber are pushed and is filled into the cigarette tube, the tobacco leaves will be unevenly distributed along the cigarette tube.

Normally, the user does not know how much tobacco leaves will be filled in the cigarette tube. As a result, insufficient tobacco leaves will be filled in the cigarette tube or excessive tobacco leaves will be packed in the cigarette tube.

Furthermore, when the tobacco leaves are pressed by the finger tips in the tobacco receiving chamber, the finger tips of the user may be accidentally cut by the sharp cutting edge of the window 18A.

The conventional cigarette machine will only provide enough space for receiving a sufficient amount of tobacco leaves to fit one empty cigarette tube. In other words, if the user wants to make two or more cigarettes in a row, he or she may have to repeatedly fill the tobacco leaves.

SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

The invention is advantageous in that it provides a cigarette tobacco loader for enhancing the loading operation of the tobacco leaves into a cigarette tobacco filler device.

Another advantage of the invention is to provide a cigarette tobacco loader which provides both pushing action of the tobacco leaves into the tobacco receiving cavity and feeding action of the tobacco leaves to the loading opening.

Another advantage of the invention is to provide a cigarette tobacco loader, wherein the loader handle provides double-action actuation of the loading pusher and the feeding platform in one single downward movement.

Another advantage of the invention is to provide a cigarette tobacco loader, wherein the loading cavity enlarges the volume of receiving the tobacco leaves to be loaded into the tobacco receiving cavity so as to enable the user to make two or more cigarettes in a row.

Another advantage of the invention is to provide a cigarette tobacco loader, which can detachably couple to any cigarette machine having a tobacco receiving cavity.

Another advantage of the invention is to provide a cigarette tobacco loader, which is easy to operate by pivotally moving down the loader handle in an ergonomically actuating manner to load the tobacco into the tobacco receiving cavity.

Another advantage of the invention is to provide a cigarette tobacco loader, wherein the finger tips of the user can keep away from the sharp edge of the tobacco receiving cavity for preventing the finger tips being cut accidentally.

Another advantage of the invention is to provide a cigarette tobacco filler device, which is easy to operate by pivotally moving down an operation handle in an ergonomically actuating manner to actuate the plunger for filling the tobacco into the cigarette tube.

Another advantage of the invention is to provide a cigarette tobacco filler device, wherein the pivotally downward movement of the operation handle will ensure the casing being stably stayed on a surface to prevent any unwanted movement of the casing during operation.

Another advantage of the invention is to provide a cigarette tobacco filler device, wherein the pivotally downward movement of the operation handle will transmit to a rotatable force to drive a power shaft to rotate in order to effectively actuate the enclosing window and the plunger. In other words, the enclosing window and the plunger are actuated by the power shaft to effectively transmit the rotatable force to the enclosing window and the plunger.

Another advantage of the invention is to provide a cigarette tobacco filler device, wherein the operation handle provides triple-action actuation of the enclosing window, the plunger, and release of cigarette tube in one single downward movement.

Another advantage of the invention is to provide a cigarette tobacco filler device, wherein the power shaft is made of rigid material and is strong enough to transmit the rotatable force to actuate the enclosing window and the plunger.

Another advantage of the invention is to provide a cigarette tobacco filler device, wherein the operation handle can be unlocked to freely rotate with respect to the power shaft such that the plunger and the enclosing window will not be actuated by the operation handle when the device is not intentionally be used.

Another advantage of the invention is to provide a cigarette tobacco filler device, wherein the tobacco receiving cavity can be closed by the enclosing window when the device is not in use so as to prevent dust or other particles being accumulated in the tobacco receiving cavity.

Another advantage of the invention is to provide a cigarette tobacco filler device, wherein the enclosing window is stably moved between an opened position and a closed position by an even transverse force which is transmitted from the rotatable force of the power shaft.

Another advantage of the invention is to provide a cigarette tobacco filler device, which does not involve complicated mechanical structures or expensive components so as to minimize the manufacturing cost of the present invention.

Another advantage of the invention is to provide a cigarette tobacco filler device, wherein no expensive or complicated structure is required to employ in the present invention in order to achieve the above mentioned objects. Therefore, the present invention successfully provides an economic and efficient solution for providing a stable configuration and easy operation of cigarette tobacco filler device.

Additional advantages and features of the invention will become apparent from the description which follows, and may be realized by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particular point out in the appended claims.

According to the present invention, the foregoing and other objects and advantages are attained by a cigarette tobacco filler device for filling a predetermined amount of tobacco into an empty cigarette tube, comprising:

a casing having a tobacco receiving cavity provided at a top side of the casing for receiving the tobacco, and an outlet which is communicated with the tobacco receiving cavity and is adapted for holding the cigarette tube in position;

an injection unit which comprises a plunger movably supported in the casing at a position that a front pushing end of the plunger is moved from the tobacco receiving cavity to the outlet for delivering the tobacco into the cigarette tube; and

an actuation unit which comprises a power shaft rotatably supported in the casing to couple with the plunger and an operation handle which is pivotally extended above the top side of the casing and is arranged in such a manner that when the operation handle is pivotally moved down to the top side of the casing, the power shaft is driven to rotate so as to actuate the plunger for inserting the tobacco in the tobacco receiving cavity to the cigarette tube at the outlet.

Still further objects and advantages will become apparent from a consideration of the ensuing description and drawings.

These and other objectives, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, the accompanying drawings, and the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional cigarette making machine, illustrating the rotatable handle being rotated above the top side of the casing.

FIGS. 2A to 2C illustrate the operation of the conventional cigarette making machine.

FIG. 3A is a perspective view of a cigarette tobacco filler device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, illustrating the operation handle at an initial position for being pivotally and downwardly moved for actuation.

FIG. 3B is a perspective view of the cigarette tobacco filler device according to the above preferred embodiment of the present invention, illustrating the operation handle at a second position for being pivotally and downwardly moved for actuation of the enclosing window.

FIG. 3C is a perspective view of the cigarette tobacco filler device according to the above preferred embodiment of the present invention, illustrating the operation handle at a third position for being pivotally and downwardly moved for completing the tobacco insertion actuation.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the cigarette tobacco filler device according to the above preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the cigarette tobacco filler device according to the above preferred embodiment of the present invention, illustrating the normal first position of the device.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the cigarette tobacco filler device according to the above preferred embodiment of the present invention, illustrating the second position of the device to close the tobacco receiving cavity.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the cigarette tobacco filler device according to the above preferred embodiment of the present invention, illustrating the third position of the device to actuate the plunger.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a cigarette tube injector according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view of the cigarette tube injector according to the above preferred embodiment of the present invention, illustrating the feeding member at the initial position.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view of the cigarette tube injector according to the above preferred embodiment of the present invention, illustrating the feeding member being slid towards the tobacco feeder.

FIG. 11 is a partially sectional view of the feeding member and the tobacco feeder of the cigarette tube injector according to the above preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a sectional view of the tobacco feeder according to the above preferred embodiment of the present invention, illustrating the tobacco feeder at the first position.

FIG. 13 is a sectional view of the tobacco feeder according to the above preferred embodiment of the present invention, illustrating the tobacco feeder at the second position.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the cigarette tube injector according to the above preferred embodiment of the present invention, illustrating the cigarette tray detachably coupling with the housing.

FIG. 15 is a side view of the cigarette tube injector according to the above preferred embodiment of the present invention, illustrating the position sensor incorporating with the handle member.

FIG. 16 is a side view of a cigarette tobacco loader coupled at the cigarette tobacco filler device according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of the cigarette tobacco loader according to the above preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a sectional view of the cigarette tobacco loader according to the above preferred embodiment of the present invention, illustrating the loader handle at an initial position and the loading pusher at the first position.

FIG. 19 is a sectional view of the cigarette tobacco loader according to the above preferred embodiment of the present invention, illustrating the loader handle being moved from the initial position and the loading pusher being moved between the first and second positions.

FIG. 20 is a sectional view of the cigarette tobacco loader according to the above preferred embodiment of the present invention, illustrating the loader handle at a loaded position and the loading pusher at the second position.

FIG. 21 is a perspective view of the pressuring sensor module incorporating with the loading pusher of cigarette tobacco loader according to the above preferred embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The following description is disclosed to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use the present invention. Preferred embodiments are provided in the following description only as examples and modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The general principles defined in the following description would be applied to other embodiments, alternatives, modifications, equivalents, and applications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

Referring to FIGS. 3A to 3C and 4 to 7, a cigarette tobacco filler device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is illustrated, wherein the cigarette tobacco filler device, which is arranged for filling a predetermined amount of tobacco into an empty cigarette tube, comprises a casing A10, and an injection unit A20, and a plunger actuation unit A30.

The casing A10 has a tobacco receiving cavity A11 provided at a top side of the casing A10 for receiving the tobacco, and an outlet A12 provided at a front side of the casing A10 for holding the cigarette tube in position, wherein the outlet A12 is communicated with the tobacco receiving cavity A11. The outlet A12 has tubular structure having a circumferential size slightly smaller than the circumferential size such that the outlet A12 is adapted for inserting into the opening end of the cigarette tube to hold the cigarette tube in position. The casing A10 further has a sloping platform A13 provided at the top side of the casing A10 to align with the top opening of the tobacco receiving cavity A11, wherein the sloping platform A13 is downwardly extended to the tobacco receiving cavity A11 such that the user is able to brush the tobacco at the sloping platform A13 into the tobacco receiving cavity A11. The casing A10 further comprises a handle bar A14 spacedly extended above the top side of the casing A10 and extended between the front and rear sides of the casing A10 for carrying purpose.

The casing A10 further has an interior cavity for receiving the injection unit A20, and the plunger actuation unit A30, wherein a bottom panel 15 is coupled at the bottom side of the casing A10 to enclose the interior cavity.

The injection unit A20 comprises a plunger A21 movably supported in the casing A10 at a position that a front pushing end A211 of the plunger A21 is moved forward from the tobacco receiving cavity A11 to the outlet A12 for delivering the tobacco into the cigarette tube. Accordingly, the plunger A21 has an elongated structure and is moved in the casing A10 at a longitudinal direction of the casing A10. In particular, the plunger A21 is coaxially align with the outlet A12, such that when the plunger A21 is moved forward in a linear manner, the front pushing end A211 of the plunger A21 will push the tobacco in the tobacco receiving cavity A11 into the cigarette tube through the outlet A12.

The injection unit A20 further has a linear guiding channel A22 longitudinally formed within the casing A10 to guide the longitudinal movement of the plunger A21. Accordingly, the injection unit A20 comprises two elongated plunger guiding arms A23 defining the guiding channel A22 therebetween, wherein the plunger A21 is slidably coupled between the plunger guiding arms A23 along the guiding channel A22 to ensure the plunger A21 being move longitudinally.

The plunger actuation unit A30 comprises a power shaft A31 rotatably supported in the casing to couple with the plunger A21 and an operation handle A32 pivotally extended above the top side of the casing A10, wherein when the operation handle A32 is pivotally moved down to the top side of the casing A10, the power shaft A31 is driven to rotate. Accordingly, the power shaft A31 will provide a rotatable power to actuate the plunger A21 for inserting the tobacco in the tobacco receiving cavity A11 to the cigarette tube at the outlet A12. When the operation handle A32 is pivotally moved up from the top side of the casing A10, the power shaft A31 is driven to rotate at an opposite direction, wherein the plunger A21 will move backward in a linear manner so as to move back to its original position.

The power shaft A31 is a main power transmitting element for transmitting the rotatable power from the operation handle A32. One end of the power shaft A31 is coupled with the bottom end of the operation handle A32 such that when the upper end of the operation handle A32 is pivotally moved down toward the top side of the casing 10, the power shaft A31 is driven to rotate for generating the rotatable power. Accordingly, the plunger A21 and the power shaft A31 are spacedly supported within the casing A10 and are extended parallelly to each other.

It is appreciated that the user is able to apply a downward force at the operation handle A32 to drive the operation handle A32 pivotally moving down toward the top side of the casing A10. The pivotally downward movement of the operation handle A32 allows the user to easily operate the operation handle A32 in an ergonomically actuating manner for completing the filling of the tobacco into the cigarette tube. In other words, the pivotally downward movement of the operation handle A32 is designed to optimize how the force applied by the user and to enhance the overall device performance.

By applying the downward force, the casing 10 will be stably rested on a surface, such as a table surface, so as to prevent any unwanted movement of the casing during the operation of the cigarette tobacco filler device. Preferably, the operation handle A32 is coupled at a rear side of the casing A10 to maximize the distance between the operation handle A32 and the outlet A12 for easy operation.

According to the preferred embodiment, the plunger actuation unit A30 further comprises a gear unit A33 driven by the power shaft A31 and an actuation arm A34 for actuating the plunger A21. The actuation arm A34 has a pivot end operatively coupled with the gear unit A33 and a driving end operatively coupled with the plunger A21 in such a manner that when the power shaft A31 is driven to rotate, the actuation arm A34 is pivotally moved to longitudinally move the plunger A21 forward for pushing the tobacco to the outlet A12.

As shown in FIGS. 4 to 7, the actuation arm A34 comprises a first arm member 341 pivotally coupled with the gear unit A33 and a second arm member A342 pivotally coupled at the rear end of the plunger 21, wherein the first and second arm members A341, A342 are pivotally coupled with each other in an end-to-end manner. Accordingly, the pivot end of the actuation arm A34 is defined at the first arm member A341 to pivotally couple with the gear unit A33 while the driving end of the actuation arm A34 is defined at the second arm member A342 to couple at the rear end of the plunger A21.

Therefore, when the first arm member A341 is pivotally moved to the front side to of the casing A10, the second arm member A342 is driven to longitudinally move the plunger A21 forward. When the first arm member A341 is pivotally moved back to the rear side of the casing 10, the second arm member A342 is driven to longitudinally move the plunger A21 backward.

The gear unit A33 is arranged to transmit the rotatable power from the power shaft A31 to a pivotal movement of the actuation arm A34. In particular, the gear unit 33 comprises a first gear A331 coaxially coupled at the power shaft A31 and a second gear A332 which is coupled at the pivot end of the actuation arm A34 and is operatively engaged with the first gear A331. In particular, the second gear A332 will also transmit the direction of the rotatable power from the first gear A331 to the actuation arm A34.

The first gear A331 has a teething edge portion and a non-teething edge portion provided at the circumferential edge of the first gear A331. The second gear A332 has a teeth edge portion to selectively engage with the teething edge portion and the non-teething edge portion of the first gear A331 when the first gear A331 is rotated.

Accordingly, when the first gear A331 is rotated at a position that the non-teething edge portion of the first gear A331 is engaged with the second gear A332, the second gear A332 is idle such that the actuation arm A34 is remained at a motionless manner. When the first gear A331 is rotated at a position that the teething edge portion of the first gear A331 is engaged with the second gear A332, the second gear A332 is driven to rotate to pivotally move the actuation arm A34 so as to longitudinally move the plunger A21 forward.

It is worth mentioning that the non-teething edge portion of the first gear A331 is initially engaged with the second gear A332. When the operation handle A32 is pivotally moved downward, the teething edge portion of the first gear A331 will then be engaged with the second gear A332. Therefore, the second gear A332 will be in an idle position at the first pivotal moving path of the operation handle A32. In addition, the curvature length of the teething edge portion of the first gear A331 is long enough to driven the plunger A21 to longitudinally move by the actuation arm A34 for inserting the tobacco into the cigarette tube.

As shown in FIGS. 3 to 7, the plunger actuation unit A30 further comprises a resilient element A35 coupled at the actuation arm A34 for applying an urging force thereagainst so as to longitudinally move the plunger A21 backward. Accordingly, the resilient element A35 comprises a coil spring for urging the actuation atm A34. In particular, the coil spring of the resilient element A35 has a coil portion coaxially coupled at the pivot end of the actuation arm A34 and two spring arms spacedly extended from the coil portion to bias against an inner wall of the casing A10 and the actuation arm A34 respectively. Accordingly, the respective spring arm of the resilient element A35 is coupled at the actuation arm A34 between the pivot end and the driving end. In particular, the respective spring arm of the resilient element A35 is coupled at the first arm member A341. It is worth mentioning that the coil spring has a spring property to move the actuation arm A34 is a pivotally movable manner. Therefore, the fatigue life of the coil spring incorporating with the actuation arm will be substantially prolonged to extend the service life span of the resilient element A35.

According to the preferred embodiment, the cigarette tobacco filler device further comprises an enclosing window A40 movably coupled at the casing 10 to enclose the tobacco receiving cavity A11 thereof. Accordingly, the enclosing window A40 has a planar structure and is transversely moved to close the tobacco receiving cavity A11. In particular, the enclosing window A40 is movably coupled at the interior of the top side of the casing A10 such that when the top opening of the tobacco receiving cavity A11 is closed by the enclosing window 40, the tobacco receiving cavity A11 will house a predetermined amount of the tobacco in order to insert the tobacco into the cigarette tube. It is worth mentioning that the tobacco receiving cavity A11 is normally closed by the enclosing window A40 to prevent the dust and particles entering into the tobacco receiving cavity A11 when the cigarette tobacco filler device is not in use, as shown in FIG. 5.

The cigarette tobacco filler device further comprises a window actuation unit A50 operatively coupled between the enclosing window A40 and the power shaft A31, wherein when the power shaft A31 is rotated, the enclosing window A40 is moved by the window actuation unit A50 to enclose the tobacco receiving cavity A11 before the plunger A21 is moved.

In particular, the window actuation unit A50 is actuated by the power shaft A31 when the non-teething edge portion of the first gear A331 is initially engaged with the second gear A332. Therefore, the enclosing window A40 is actuated to close the tobacco receiving cavity A11 before the actuation of the plunger A21, as shown in FIG. 6. In other words, the operation handle A32 provides dual actions to actuate both the enclosing window A40 and the plunger A21 subsequently in one single pivotally moving down movement. In other words, at the first pivotal moving path of the operation handle A32, i.e. the non-teething edge portion of the first gear A331 is initially engaged with the second gear A332, the enclosing window A40 is actuated to close the tobacco receiving cavity A11. At the second pivotal moving path of the operation handle A32, i.e. the teething edge portion of the first gear A331 is then engaged with the second gear A332, the plunger A21 is actuated to insert the tobacco into the cigarette tube. It is worth mentioning that the first and second pivotal moving paths of the operation handle A32 are continuous movement of the operation handle A32 to pivotally and downwardly move the operation handle A32 toward the top side of the casing A10.

Accordingly, the window actuation unit A50 comprises two swinging members A51 spacedly coupled with the power shaft A31 and a guiding panel A52 being driven to transversely shift by the swinging members A51.

The swinging members A51 are identical and are securely coupled at the power shaft A31, wherein the swinging members A51 are rotatably swung when the power shaft A31 is rotated.

The guiding panel A52 has a first edge movably coupled between the swinging members A51 and an opposed second edge pivotally coupled with the enclosing window A40 in such a manner that when the power shaft A31 is rotated, the swinging members A51 are rotated to transversely shift the guiding panel A52 so as to transversely move the enclosing window A40 for closing the tobacco receiving cavity A11.

In particular, each of the swinging members A51 has an arc-shaped guiding slot A511 that the first edge of the guiding panel A52 is engaged between the guiding slots A511 of the swinging members A51, such that when the swinging members A51 are driven to swing, the first edge of the guiding panel A52 is guided to slide therealong. In other words, when the swinging members A51 are driven to rotate by the power shaft A31, the first edge of the guiding panel A52 is guided to slide along the guiding slots A511 to transversely shift the guiding panel A52. As shown in FIG. 4, the first edge of the guiding panel A52 is engaged with the guiding slots A511 of the swinging members A51 via an elongated swing shaft. In addition, the guiding panel A52 is transversely shifted that when the first edge of the guiding panel A52 is moved downwardly along the guiding slots A511, the second edge of the guiding panel A52 is transversely moved toward the closing direction of the enclosing window A40. When the first edge of the guiding panel A52 is moved upwardly along the guiding slots A511, the second edge of the guiding panel A52 is transversely moved toward the opening direction of the enclosing window A40.

The enclosing window A40 has a pivot edge pivotally coupled with the second edge of the guiding panel A52 via a hinge structure such that when the guiding panel A52 is transversely shifted, the enclosing window A40 is pushed to close the tobacco receiving cavity A11. The enclosing window A40 further has an opposed sharp cutting edge arranged in such a manner that when the enclosing window A40 is transversely moved to close the tobacco receiving cavity A11, the cutting edge is stably moved for cutting excessive amount of the tobacco out of the tobacco receiving cavity A11, so as to retain a predetermined amount of the tobacco in the tobacco receiving cavity A11. It is worth mentioning that the swinging members A51 are concurrently swung about the power shaft A31 to generate an even pushing force toward the guiding panel A52. Therefore, the pushing force from the guiding panel A52 is evenly applied at the pivot edge of the enclosing window A40, such that the enclosing window A40 can be smoothly moved in a well balancing manner.

The cigarette tobacco filler device further comprises a cigarette tube hold-and-release unit A60 for holding the cigarette tube at the outlet A12 and for releasing the cigarette tube from the outlet A12 after the tobacco is filled in the cigarette tube. Accordingly, the cigarette tube hold-and-release unit A60 comprises a tube holding member A61 movably biasing against the outlet A12 for holding the cigarette tube thereat, wherein the tube holding member A61, which is a spring-loaded member, has a holding face for applying a spring holding force at the outer surface of the outlet A12 so as to hold the cigarette tube in position. In particular, the tube holding member A61 is coupled with the enclosing window A40, wherein when the enclosing window A40 is at the opened position, the tube holding member A61 is moved away from the outlet A12 to define a gap between the holding face of the tube holding member A61 and the outer surface of the outlet A12 for the cigarette tube coupling with the outlet A12. When the enclosing window A40 is moved to its closed position, the tube holding member A61 is moved towards until the holding face of the tube holding member A61 is biased against the outer surface of the outlet A12 so as to hold the cigarette tube in position. In other words, the operation handle A32 not only actuates the enclosing window A40 but also actuates the tube holding member A61 at the same time.

The cigarette tube hold-and-release unit A60 further comprises a tube releasing arm A62 which is pivotally supported in the casing A10 and is actuated by the actuation arm A34. The tube releasing arm A62 has a releasing end engaging with the tube holding member A61 and an opposed control end arranged in such a manner that after the actuation arm A34 is moved to actuate the plunger A21 for inserting the tobacco into the cigarette tube, the control end of the tube releasing arm A62 is actuated by the actuation arm A34. Therefore, the releasing end of the tube releasing arm A62 is pivotally moved to move the tube holding member A61 away from the outlet A12 for releasing the cigarette tube from the outlet A12. It is worth mentioning that when the front pushing end A211 of the plunger A21 is moved out of the outlet A12 for inserting the tobacco into the cigarette tube, the tube holding member A61 is moved away from the outlet A12 at the same time. Therefore, the plunger A21 will also push the cigarette tube to detach from the outlet A12 after the tobacco is filled in the cigarette tube.

It is worth mentioning that the operation handle A32 further provides triple actions to actuate all the enclosing window 40, the plunger A21, and the cigarette tube hold-and-release unit A60 subsequently in one single pivotally moving down movement. As it is mentioned above, the first pivotal moving path of the operation handle A32 is to actuate the enclosing window A40 is actuated to close the tobacco receiving cavity A11. The second pivotal moving path of the operation handle A32 is to actuate the plunger A21 is actuated to insert the tobacco into the cigarette tube. The operation handle A32 further provides a third pivotal moving path to actuate the cigarette tube hold-and-release unit A60 to release the cigarette tube from the outlet A12. It is worth mentioning that the first, second, and third pivotal moving paths of the operation handle A32 are continuous movement of the operation handle A32 to pivotally and downwardly move the operation handle A32 toward the top side of the casing A10.

According to the preferred embodiment, the plunger actuation unit 30 further comprises a releasable joint A36 for releasing an engagement between the operation handle A32 and the power shaft A31. Accordingly, all the actuations are powered by the rotation of the power shaft A31. Once the power shaft A31 is in an idle state, all the components cannot be moved correspondingly. The releasable joint 36 is configured as safety device to ensure all the components are at the idle state when the cigarette tobacco filler device is not intentionally used.

The releasable joint 36 comprises a lock sleeve A361 coupled between the operation handle A32 and the power shaft A31 and a releasable lock A362 releasably engaged with the lock sleeve 361 to lock up the operation handle 32 with the power shaft A31. Therefore, when the releasable lock A362 is engaged with the lock sleeve A361, the operation handle A32 can be moved to drive the power shaft A31 to rotate. Likewise, when the releasable lock A362 is disengaged with the lock sleeve A361, the operation handle A32 is freely moved to idle the power shaft A31. It is worth mentioning that when releasable lock A362 is disengaged with the lock sleeve A361, the operation handle A32 will not be totally detached from the power shaft A31. In particular, the operation handle A32 will only be freely rotated without driving the power shaft A31 to rotate. Therefore, when the device is not in use, the tobacco receiving cavity A11 can be enclosed by moving the operation handle A32 to close the tobacco receiving cavity 11 by the enclosing window A40 and by locking the operation handle A32 at the position to retain the enclosing window A40 at the closed position so as to prevent dust or other particles being accumulated in the tobacco receiving cavity A11.

It is worth mentioning that the releasable joint A36 can incorporate with a magnetic alignment unit to align the actuation position of the operation handle A32 with respect to the power shaft A31. In other words, when the releasable lock A362 is re-engaged with the lock sleeve A361, an angular position of the operation handle A32 can be automatically aligned with the power shaft A31 via the magnetic alignment unit before the operation handle A32 is secured to the power shaft A31.

In order to operate the cigarette tobacco filler device of the present invention, the user is able to pivotally move the operation handle A32 upward from the top side of the casing A10 in order to move the enclosing window A40 for opening up the tobacco receiving cavity 11, as shown in FIG. 3A. At the same time, the tube holding member A61 is moved away from the outlet A12 for the cigarette tube coupling with the outlet A12. Then, the user is able to fill the tobacco into the tobacco receiving cavity A11. When the user ergonomically applies the downward force at the operation handle A32 to pivotally move the operation handle down toward the top side of the casing A10, as shown in FIG. 3B, the enclosing window A40 will be initially actuated to close the tobacco receiving cavity 11 while the tube holding member A61 is moved to the outlet A12 for holding the cigarette tube in position. It is worth mentioning that excessive amount of tobacco will be cut by the cutting edge of the enclosing window A40 to prevent excessive amount of tobacco being inserted into the cigarette tube. Accordingly, the user is able to hold at the handle bar A14 to keep the casing A10 in stable for easily applying the downward force at the operation handle A32. When user keeps applying the downward force at the operation handle A32 to pivotally move the operation handle down to the top side of the casing A10, as shown in FIG. 3C, the plunger A21 is actuated to insert the tobacco into the cigarette tube. It is worth mentioning that during the tobacco inserting operation, the enclosing window 40 is remained at the closed position. Once the operation handle A32 cannot be further moved downwardly, i.e. the tobacco inserting operation is completed, the cigarette tube hold-and-release unit A60 is actuated to release the cigarette tube from the outlet A12. Accordingly, the user only requires a single downward action to pivotally drop down the operation handle A32 in order to hold the cigarette tube in position, to close the tobacco receiving cavity A11, to fill the tobacco into the cigarette tube, and to release the filled cigarette tube from the outlet A12.

Referring to FIGS. 8 to 13 of the drawings, the cigarette tube injector according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is illustrated, wherein the cigarette tube injector is adapted for loading tobacco leaves B40 into a cigarette paper tube B50. The cigarette tube injector comprises a housing B10, an electric motor B20, and a cigarette filling arrangement B30.

The housing B10 further comprises a tobacco cavity B11 for tobacco leaves B40 disposing thereat. The length of the tobacco cavity B11 is around the length of the cigarette paper tube B50. Referring to FIGS. 9 to 11, along one longitudinal side of the tobacco cavity 11, the housing B10 comprises a sliding compartment B13. This sliding compartment B13 locates at one longitudinal edge of the tobacco cavity B11. The housing B10 also comprises a guiding compartment B14. This guiding compartment B14 defines the height of the tobacco cavity B11 which is slightly smaller than the diameter of the cigarette paper tube B50. A longitudinal length of the housing B10 is lesser than two cigarette lengths of the cigarette paper tube B50.

The tobacco cavity B11 has an opening on top for deposing the tobacco leaves B40. It also comprises a cutting edge B111 on one side of the opening which is adapted to trim the tobacco leaves B40. The housing B10 also has a feeding opening B12 which is communicatively connected with the tobacco cavity B11. The feeding opening B12 has a tubular holder B121 which is coaxially extended from the feeding opening B12. The tubular holder B121 has a sharpened shape so it is easy to be inserted into the opening of a cigarette paper tube B50. When the opening of a cigarette paper tube B50 encircles the tubular holder B121, the tobacco leaves B40 inside the tobacco cavity B11 can be pushed into the cigarette paper tube B50. The housing B10 also has a tube retainer B122 transversely extended to bias against the tubular holder B121 by means of spring force to retain the cigarette paper tube B50 on the tubular holder B121 during injection.

The electric motor B20 is received in the housing B10 to provide driving power for tobacco injection. The electric motor B20 also comprises an output shaft B21 for generating a rotational power thereat to drive the cigarette filling arrangement B30. In a preferred embodiment, the electric motor B20 also comprises a gearbox B22 to adjust the rotational speed of the output shaft B21 for better performance. The electric motor B20 is powered by a power cable B23, or alternatively by a battery B24 to be portable. In other words, once the battery B24 is charged, the cigarette tube injector is portable to load the loading tobacco leaves B40 into a cigarette paper tube B50.

Referring to FIGS. 9 to 13, the cigarette filling arrangement B30 is driven by the output shaft B21 of the electric motor B20, and is adapted to automatically feed the tobacco leaves B40 from the tobacco cavity B11 to the cigarette paper tube B50 via the feeding opening B12 automatically. The cigarette filling arrangement B30 comprises a tobacco feeder B31, an arc-shaped feeding member B32, a reciprocating unit B33, and a manual actuator B34.

The tobacco feeder B31, which is a feeding crank, is adapted to push the tobacco leaves B40, and it further comprises a driving member B311 which is slidably supported by the sliding compartment B13. The driving member B311 is driven by the reciprocating unit B33 to make a reciprocating movement between a first position and a second position. The first position is located at one end of the sliding compartment B13 which is also at the transverse edge of the tobacco cavity B11, and the second position is located at the opposite end of the sliding compartment B13 which is also at the other transverse edge of the tobacco cavity B11. The second position is also where the feeding opening B12 locates. Because the sliding compartment B13 is at one longitudinal edge of the tobacco cavity B11, the driving member B311 is guided and supported by the sliding compartment B13 to slide between the first position and the second position back and forth linearly along the longitudinal direction of the tobacco cavity B11. The longitudinal direction is also the injection direction.

Referring to FIG. 11, the driving member B311 further comprises a front pusher wall B312. The front pusher wall B312 has a round flat surface facing the feeding opening B12 at the second position. When the driving member B311 is moving from the first position to the second position, the front pusher wall B312 can push the tobacco leaves B40 towards the feeding opening B12 without shredding the tobacco leaves B40. The diameter of the front pusher wall B312 is the same as the height of the tobacco cavity B11. The driving member B311 also comprises an arc-shaped retention member B313. Referring to FIG. 11, the retention member B313 is extended from a circumferential side of the front pusher wall B312 towards the feeding opening B12 along the injection direction. The arc-shape of the retention member B313 is in a semicircular shape. The diameter of the outer wall of the retention member B313 is the same as the front pusher wall B312. The length of the retention member B313 is the same as the length of the sliding compartment 13. The inner wall of the retention member B313 can retain the tobacco leaves B40 within the tobacco cavity B11, and when the driving member B311 is moving to the second position, the retention member B313 will pass through the feeding opening B12, and enter into the cigarette paper tube B50 with the tobacco leaves B40. It is worth mentioning, the arc-shaped retention member B313 has a small thickness so it will not take much tobacco space inside the cigarette paper tube B50.

It is worth mentioning, when the driving member B31 is at the first position, referring to FIG. 12, the whole length of the cigarette tube injector is a little longer than the length of a cigarette but lesser than twice of the length of a cigarette.

Referring to FIGS. 9 to 13, a portion of the driving member B311 is extend out of the sliding compartment B13, and is mechanically connected with the reciprocating unit B33. The reciprocating unit B33 is adapted to transmit a rotational power of the output shaft B21 to a sliding movement of the driving member B311 of the tobacco feeder B31. The reciprocating unit B33 comprises a transmission wheel B331 which is coaxially coupled with the output shaft B21 of the electric motor B20. So the output shaft B21 can drive the transmission wheel B331 to rotate. The transmission wheel B331 also comprises an eccentric shaft B3311 which is located on the edge of the transmission wheel B331.

Referring to FIGS. 12 and 13, the reciprocating unit B33 also comprises a connecting arm B332, and a transmission arm B333. The connecting arm B332 is rotatably connected with the driving member B311 and the transmission arm B333 respectively through two pivots. The transmission arm B333 is located over the transmission wheel B331, and has one end pivotally connected with the housing B10, and the other end pivotally connected with the connecting arm B332. The transmission arm B333 also has a transmitting slot B334 which is slidably coupled with the eccentric shaft B3311. When the transmission wheel B331 is driven by the output shaft B21 to rotate, the eccentric shaft B3311 will drive the transmission arm B333 to swing reciprocatingly through the eccentric shaft B3311 and the transmission slot. Then the transmission arm B333 will drive the driving member B311 to move along the sliding compartment B13 to move linearly. In this manner, the rotating movement of the output shaft B21 is transmitted into a linear movement of the driving member B311 between the first position and the second position.

Referring to FIGS. 9 and 10, the arc-shaped feeding member B32 is adapted to push the tobacco leaves B40 towards the arc-shaped retention member B313 and to form a tobacco cylinder, so the front pusher wall B312 of the driving member B311 can push the tobacco cylinder into the cigarette paper tube B50. The feeding member B32 is slidably supported by the guiding compartment B14. The height of the feeding member B32 is the same as the height of the tobacco cavity B11 which is defined by the guiding compartment B14. The feeding member B32 is also driven by the manual actuator B34 to slide along the guiding compartment B14 in a direction perpendicular to the injection direction.

The arc-shaped feeding member B32 has a feeding wall B321 facing the arc-shaped retention member B313 of the tobacco feeder. The feeding wall B321 is also in a semicircular shape which is matched with the retention wall. When the feeding member B32 is push to the driving member B311 of the tobacco feeder, the feeding wall B321 of the feeding member B32 and the retention member B313 of the driving member B311 will be coupled edge-by-edge to form a tubular chamber B35. The tobacco leaves B40 inside the tubular chamber B35 is formed into a tobacco cylinder which will be pushed into the cigarette paper tube B50 by the front pusher wall B312 and the retention member 313 of the driving member B311. This tubular chamber B35 is coaxially aligned with the feeding opening B12.

It is worth mentioning, the diameter of the feeding wall B321 is the same as the diameter of the front pusher wall B312, so the front pusher wall B312 can slide within the feeding wall B321 along the injection direction to push all the tobacco leaves 40 in the tubular chamber B35. Accordingly, the tobacco leaves B40 will not be shredded into pieces when the feeding member B32 is slid to couple with the retention member B313. In addition, when feeding member B32 is slid to couple with the retention member B313, the tobacco leaves B40 will have a uniform compactness within the tubular chamber 35. In other words, the tobacco leaves B40 are loaded within the hollow cigarette paper tube with a uniform and proper compactness by the present invention.

The edge of the feeding wall B321 is sharp. Also, the opening of the tobacco cavity B11 has a sharp cutting edge B111. So when the feeding member 32 is slid to couple with the retention member B313, the sharp cutting edge 111 will trim the tobacco leaves 40.

The manual actuator B34 is for the user to push the feeding member B32 towards the driving member B311 manually. It further comprises a handle member B341 and a pusher unit B342. The handle member B341 is pivotally coupled with the housing B10. The pusher unit B342 is pivotally connected with the handle member B341 at one end, and is pivotally connected with the feeding member B32 at the other end. So when the user presses the handle member B341 downward, the handle member B341 drives the feeding member B32 to slide towards the driving member B311 of the tobacco feeder B31 though the pusher unit B342. When doing this, the feeding member B32 can push the tobacco leaves B40 disposed inside the tobacco cavity B11 towards the driving member B311 and form a tobacco cylinder.

The cigarette tube injector also comprises a start button B15 and a control circuit B16. During operation, the driving member B311 is initially at the first position. The user first load the hollow cigarette paper tube B50 onto the tubular holder B121, then dispose tobacco leaves B40 into the tobacco cavity B11. By pressing the handle member B341, the user can pushes the tobacco leaves B40 towards the driving member B341 of the tobacco feeder 34 through the feeding member B32 to form a tobacco cylinder. Then the user press the start button B15 to start the electric motor B20 to rotate the transmission wheel B331 via the output shaft B21. The control circuit B16 controls the electric motor B20 to rotate the transmission wheel B331 only one revolution. In a preferred embodiment, the control circuit is a contact sensor, when the transmission arm B333 is driven back by the transmission wheel B331 after injecting the tobacco leaves B40, the transmission arm B333 will disconnect the contract sensor, then the electric motor will be shut down. In this way the driving member B341 is driven to slide from the first position to the second position to push the tobacco leaves 40 into the cigarette paper tube B50, and then withdrawn from the second position to the first position, and stopped there waiting for next injection.

As shown in FIG. 14, the cigarette tube injector, as a modification of the preferred embodiment, further comprises a cigarette tray B60 extending from the bottom of the housing B10 where the feeding opening B12 is located such that the cigarette tray B60 is positioned beneath the tubular holder B121 for receiving the injected cigarette paper tubes B50. In a preferred embodiment, the cigarette tray B60 is detachably attached on the housing B10 such that the cigarette tray B60 can be detached from the housing B10 when the cigarette tube injector is not in use so as to enhance the portability of the present invention. It is appreciated that the cigarette tray B60 can be slidably engaged with the housing B10 such that the cigarette tray B60 can be slid into the housing B10 for storage or can be slid out from the housing B10.

As shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, the cigarette tube injector may further comprise a position sensor B17, as an optional accessory, for detecting the corresponding position of the manual actuator B34. Accordingly, the position sensor B17 is provided on the top side of the housing B10 at a position adjacent to the handle member B341 and is arranged in such a manner that when the handle member B341 is pivotally moved to drive the feeding member B32 for pushing the tobacco leaves B40 towards the driving member B311, the position sensor B17 is activated to start the electric motor B20. In other words, the position sensor B17 is electrically linked to the control circuit B16 to activate the electric motor B20 such that the position sensor B17 functions as the start button B15 to automatically operate the cigarette filling arrangement B30. Preferably, the position sensor B17 is an optic sensor or a contact sensor to detect the position of the handle member 341. Therefore, the user is able to automatically operate the cigarette tube injector through the position sensor B17 instead of manually pressing the start button B15 to activate the electric motor B20.

A reset control B18 is further provided to operatively link to the cigarette filling arrangement B30 and to electrically link to the control circuit B16, wherein the reset control B18 can be a reset button provided at the top side of the housing B10. Accordingly, the reset control B18 is arranged to reset the initial status of the electric motor B20 when the tobacco feeder B31 is stuck or stopped during the operation. More particularly, when the driving member B311 is driven by the reciprocating unit B33 and is stuck between the first position and the second position, the reset control B18 is actuated to force the electric motor B20 to drive the eccentric shaft B3311 in one complete revolution so as to move the eccentric shaft B3311 back to its initial position. Therefore, the driving member B311 will return back to its original position.

In addition, the reset control B18 further operatively links to the position sensor B17 for ensuring the operation of the cigarette filling arrangement B30 in a safety manner. As it is mentioned above, the position sensor B17 is used for activating the electric motor B20 when the handle member B341 is pivotally and downwardly moved to drive the feeding member B32 for pushing the tobacco leaves 40 towards the driving member B311. Accordingly, when the handle member B341 is pivotally and upwardly moved during the operation of the feeding member B32, the position sensor B17 will detect the operation as a false operation. Therefore, the position sensor B17 will send signal to the reset control B18 through the control circuit B16 to deactivate the electric motor B20 and to force the electric motor B20 to drive the eccentric shaft B3311 in one complete revolution.

Accordingly, the crank type cigarette tube injector of the present invention not only can make a tight and even injection to have a better quality of cigarettes, but also has a reduce dimension and improved portability. The length of the cigarette tube injector is less than two times of the length of a cigarette.

As shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, the cigarette tobacco filler device further comprises a cigarette tobacco loader for loading a predetermined amount of tobacco leaves into the tobacco receiving cavity A11 (the tobacco cavity B11) of the casing A10 (the housing B10). The cigarette tobacco loader comprises a loader body 10 and a loader arrangement 20. The below description will mainly focus the cigarette tobacco loader for the cigarette tobacco filler device for easy understanding.

The loader body 10 has a loading cavity 11 and a bottom loading opening 12 aligned with a top opening of the tobacco receiving cavity A11 of the casing A10, wherein when the tobacco leaves are placed in the loading cavity 11, the tobacco leaves are loaded into the tobacco receiving cavity A11 of the casing A10 through the loading opening 12 of the loader body 10. Accordingly, the loading cavity 11 preferably has a triangular cross section defining the loading opening 12 at the bottom of the loading cavity 11, wherein the loading cavity 11 provides an enlarged space for containing the tobacco leaves therein such that the amount of tobacco leaves can be enough to make two or more cigarettes by the cigarette tobacco filler device in a row. Furthermore, the loading opening 12 of the loader body 10 is an elongated opening having a size and shape matching with the tobacco receiving cavity A11 of the casing A10. The loader body 10 further has an inclined bottom wall 13 at a bottom wall of the loading cavity 11 for guiding the tobacco leaves dropping at the loading opening 12 along the inclined bottom wall 13. In other words, when the tobacco leaves are placed in the loading cavity 11, the tobacco leaves will be guided to drop at the loading opening 12 via the inclined bottom wall 13.

The loader arrangement 20 comprises a loading pusher 21 movably supported by the loader body 10 to move between a first position and a second position. Accordingly, the loading pusher 21 has a planar structure defining an upper driving end and a bottom pusher end. At the first position as shown in FIG. 18, the pusher end of the loading pusher 21 is positioned above the loading opening 12 to define a loading gap 210 between the pusher end of the loading pusher 21 and the loading opening 12 for receiving the tobacco leaves within the loading gap 210. At the second position as shown in FIG. 20, the pusher end of the loading pusher 21 is moved to pass through the loading opening 12 for pushing and compressing the tobacco leaves within the loading gap 210 into the tobacco receiving cavity A11 of the casing A10 of the cigarette tobacco filler device. Accordingly, the loading gap 210 has a predetermined area that a measured amount of tobacco leaves will be dropped in the loading gap 210 and will be fed into the tobacco receiving cavity A11.

The loader arrangement 20 further comprises a loader handle 22 pivotally coupled at the loader body 10 to move the loading pusher 21 between the first and second positions. The loader handle 22, preferably having a U-shaped structure, has two pivot end portions 221 pivotally coupled at two sidewalls of the loader handle 22 respectively. Therefore, when the loader handle 22 is pivotally and downwardly moved, the loading pusher 21 is driven to move from the first position to the second position. Likewise, when the loader handle 22 is pivotally and upwardly moved, the loading pusher 21 is driven to move back to the first position from the second position.

As shown in FIGS. 18 to 20, in order to guide the sliding movement of the loading pusher 21, the loader arrangement further comprises a retention slot 231 formed at a sidewall of the loading cavity 11, and a driving axle 232 sidewardly extended from the driving end of the loading pusher 21 to the loader handle 22 through the retention slot 231. Preferably, two retention slots 231 are formed at the sidewalls of the loading cavity 11 respectively, wherein two driving axles 232 are sidewardly extended from the driving end of the loading pusher 21 to rotatably couple with the pivot end portions 221 of the loader handle 22 through the retention slots 231 respectively. Therefore, when the loader handle 22 is pivotally and downwardly moved, the driving axles 232 are driven to slide downwardly along the retention slots 231 so as to drive the loading pusher 21 from the first position to the second position. When the loader handle 22 is pivotally and upwardly moved, the driving axles 232 are driven to slide upwardly along the retention slots 231 so as to drive the loading pusher 21 back to the first position from the second position.

The loader arrangement further comprises a guiding slot 233 formed at the sidewall of the loading cavity 11, and a guiding axle 234 sidewardly extended from the loading pusher 21 to engage with the guiding slot 233 in order to guide the sliding movement of the loading pusher between the first and second positions. Preferably, two guiding slots 233 are formed at the sidewalls of the loading cavity 11 respectively, and two guiding axles 234 are sidewardly extended from the loading pusher 21 to engage with the guiding slots 233 respectively. Accordingly, the retention slot 231 and the guiding slot 233 are spacedly formed at each of the sidewalls of the loading cavity 11. The guiding axle 234 is sidewardly extended from a side edge of the loading pusher 21 between the driving end and the pusher end. Therefore, when the loader handle 22 is pivotally and downwardly moved to drive the driving axles 232 sliding downwardly along the retention slots 231 for driving the loading pusher 21 from the first position to the second position, the guiding axles 234 are concurrently and downwardly slid along the guiding slots 233 to guide the loading pusher 21 being moved from the first position to the second position. When the loader handle 22 is pivotally and upwardly moved to drive the driving axles 232 sliding upwardly along the retention slots 231 for driving the loading pusher 21 back to the first position from the second position, the guiding axles 234 are concurrently and upwardly slid along the guiding slots 233 to guide the loading pusher 21 being moved back to the first position from the second position.

It is worth mentioning that the retention slot 231 is an arc-shaped through slot and the guiding slot 233 is an inclined through slot formed on each of the sidewalls of the loading cavity 11. The arc-shaped retention slot 231 has a curvature with respect to the pivot point of the loader handle 22 at the sidewall of the loading cavity 11. Accordingly, the loading pusher 21 is inclinedly supported at the first position and is vertically retained at the second position. In other words, when the loading pusher 21 is moved from the first position to the second position, the loading pusher 21 is shifted from an inclined manner to a vertical manner, as shown in FIGS. 18 to 20.

Accordingly, the upper ends of the retention slot 231 and the guiding slot 233 are located at a non-vertical direction, such that when the driving axle 232 and the guiding axle 234 are located at the upper ends of the retention slot 231 and the guiding slot 233 respectively, the loading pusher 21 is supported at an inclined orientation, as shown in FIG. 18. The bottom ends of the retention slot 231 and the guiding slot 233 are located at a vertical direction, such that when the driving axle 232 and the guiding axle 234 are located at the bottom ends of the retention slot 231 and the guiding slot 233 respectively, the loading pusher 21 is supported at a vertical orientation, as shown in FIG. 20.

As shown in FIGS. 18 to 20, the loader arrangement 20 further comprises a feeder platform 24 movably supported on the inclined bottom wall 13 of the loading cavity 11, wherein the feeder platform 24 has a top stepping surface 241 for pushing the tobacco leaves toward the loading opening 12. Accordingly, the feeder platform 24 is slidably coupled on the inclined bottom wall 13 of the loading cavity 11 in a reciprocatingly movable manner such that when the tobacco leaves are placed in the loading cavity 11, the tobacco leaves will be guided to drop at the loading opening 12 via the feeder platform 24. In particular, the top stepping surface 241 of the feeder platform 24 has a plurality of step-pushing sections formed continuously such that when the feeder platform 24 is driven to slide toward the loading opening 12, the step-pushing sections of the top stepping surface 241 of the feeder platform 24 will push the tobacco leaves toward the loading opening 12.

In addition, the feeder platform 24 further has a bottom edge defining a flat pushing surface thereof, wherein when the feeder platform 24 is driven to slide toward the loading opening 12, the flat pushing surface of the feeder platform 24 is moved for pushing the tobacco leaves toward the loading gap 210. It is worth mentioning that the flat pushing surface of the feeder platform 24 is located out of the loading gap 210 when the loading pusher 21 is retained at the first position for ensuring the tobacco leaves to be filled at the loading gap 210. The flat pushing surface of the feeder platform 24 will only push the tobacco leaves toward the loading gap 210.

According to the preferred embodiment, the feeder platform 24 and the loading pusher 21 are concurrently moved by the pivotal movement of the loader handle 22. The loader arrangement further comprises a driving mechanism 25 operatively linked between the loader handle 22 and the feeder platform 24 to concurrently operate the loader handle 22 and the feeder platform 24.

When the loader handle 22 is pivotally and upwardly moved to drive the loading pusher 21 at the first position, the feeder platform 24 is driven to slide toward the loading opening 12 for pushing tobacco leaves to the loading gap 210. When the loader handle 22 is pivotally and downwardly moved to drive the loading pusher 21 at the second position, the feeder platform 24 is driven to slide away from the loading opening 12 for enabling the pusher end of the loading pusher 21 to push the tobacco leaves within the loading gap 210 into the tobacco receiving cavity A11 of the cigarette tobacco filler device.

As shown in FIGS. 16 to 20, the driving mechanism 25 comprises a teething cog 251 formed at the loader handle 22 and a teething gear 252 which is formed at a side edge of the feeder platform 24 and is engaged with the teething cog 251, such that when the loader handle 22 is pivotally moved, the feeder platform 24 is driven to slide.

Preferably, two teething cogs 251 are formed at the pivot end portions of the loader handle 22 respectively, wherein teeth of each of the teething cogs 251 are radially extended from the pivot end of the loader handle 22. Two teething gears 25 are formed at two side edges of the feeder platform 24 to engage with the teething cogs 251 respectively. It is worth mentioning that the teething cog 251 and the teething gears 252 are rack and pinion gear structure to transmit the rotational movement from the loader handle 22 to the linear movement of the feeder platform 24. Preferably, the driving mechanism 25 further has two linear sliding slots 253 formed at two sidewalls of the loading cavity 11, wherein the teething gears 25 are extended from the side edges of the feeder platform 24 through the sliding slots 253 respectively so as to guide the linear sliding movement of the feeder platform 24.

As shown in FIG. 17, the loader arrangement 20 further comprises a resilient element 26 coupled between the loader handle 22 and the loader body 10 for pulling the loader handle 22 back so as to move the loading pusher 21 back to the first position from the second position. According to the preferred embodiment, the resilient element 26 can be a compression/extension spring for applying a spring force against the loader handle 22, wherein one end of the resilient element 26 is affixed to the loader handle 22 and an opposed end of the resilient element 26 is affixed to the sidewall of the loader body 10. Preferably, two resilient elements 26 are affixed to the sidewalls of the loader body 10 respectively to couple with the loader handle 22. Therefore, after the loader handle 22 is pivotally and downwardly moved, the resilient elements 26 are stretched to pivotally and upwardly pull the loader handle 22 back to its original position.

In other words, the loader handle 22 is pivotally and downwardly moved by a manual pushing force. The user is able to apply the manual pushing force at the loader handle 22 to move the loader handle 22 is pivotally and downwardly, such that the loading pusher 21 is driven to move downwardly to push the tobacco leaves within the loading gap 210 into the tobacco receiving cavity A11 of the cigarette tobacco filler device. At the same time, the feeder platform 24 is driven to slide away from the loading opening 12. Therefore, the pressing force at the pusher end of the loading pusher 21, which presses the tobacco leaves into the tobacco receiving cavity A11, is determined by the manual pushing force.

Once the manual pushing force at the loader handle 22 is released, the loader handle 22 is pivotally and upwardly pulled by the spring force of the resilient element 26. Therefore, the loading pusher 21 is upwardly moved away from the loading opening 12 while the feeder platform 24 is driven to slide toward from the loading opening 12. In other words, the loading pusher 21 is upwardly moved and the feeder platform 24 is downwardly slid by the spring force of the resilient element 26. The feeding force at feeder platform 24, which feeds the tobacco leaves to the loading gap 210, is determined by the spring force. It is worth mentioning that the spring force is a constant force to push the tobacco leaves to the loading gap 210, so as to prevent any excessive pushing force to squeeze the tobacco leaves at the loading gap 210.

In other words, one single movement of the loader handle 22, i.e. the loader handle 22 is pivotally moved, will achieve two feeding actions of the tobacco leaves. When the loader handle 22 is pivotally and downwardly moved by the manual force applied by the user, the pusher end of the loading pusher 21 will push the tobacco leaves within the loading gap 210 into the tobacco receiving cavity A11 of the cigarette tobacco filler device. Once the manual force is released, the spring force will pivotally and upwardly pull the loader handle 22, such that the feeder platform 24 is driven to slide toward the loading opening 12 for pushing tobacco leaves to the loading gap 210. Therefore, the user is able to actuate the loader handle 22 by the single pivot action to obtain two feeding actions by the feeder platform 24 and the loading pusher 21.

As shown in FIGS. 17 and 21, the loader arrangement 20 further comprises a pressuring sensor module 27 supported at the loader body 10 for detecting a pressure applied by the pusher end of the loading pusher 21 on the tobacco leaves when the tobacco leaves are pushed into the tobacco receiving cavity A11 of the cigarette tobacco filler device. Accordingly, the pressuring sensor module 27 comprises a battery compartment 271 provided at a front side of the loader body 10 for receiving a battery and a pressure indicator 272 for indicating sufficient tobacco leaves being filled into the tobacco receiving cavity A11.

As shown in FIG. 21, the pressuring sensor module 27 further comprises at least a sensor-spring 273 held at the loading pusher 21 at a position below the driving axle 232 for applying a spring pushing force toward the pusher end of the loading pusher 21 and a sensor unit 274 supported by the driving axle 232 for determining the spring pushing force at the sensor-spring 273 in response to the pressure at the pusher end of the loading pusher 21. It is worth mentioning that the driving axles 232 are extended together to form a shaft as shown in FIG. 21, wherein the shaft of the driving axles 232 can be slidably coupled with the loading pusher 21. Accordingly, the sensor unit 274 is a micro-switch. The pressuring sensor module 27 works by the pusher end of the loading pusher being under constant tension of the sensor-spring 273. When the force needed to push and compress the tobacco leaves into the tobacco receiving cavity A11 is greater than the force exerted by the sensor-spring 273, the sensor unit 274 is tripped which activates the pressure indicator 272 to show the tobacco receiving cavity A11 being full. In other words, the cigarette is ready to be made by the cigarette tobacco filler device.

When the tobacco receiving cavity A11 is partially filled with the tobacco leaves, the loading pusher 21 can be reciprocatingly moved between the first and second positions to keep pushing the tobacco leaves into the tobacco receiving cavity A11. Once the tobacco receiving cavity A11 is fully filled with the tobacco leaves, excessive tobacco leaves may be forced to push into the tobacco receiving cavity A11 by the loading pusher 21. The pressuring sensor module 27 is arranged to detect the pressure at the pusher end of the loading pusher 21 such that when the tobacco receiving cavity A11 is fully filled with the tobacco leaves, the pressure indicator 272 will be activated to indicate the sufficient tobacco leaves being filled into the tobacco receiving cavity A11 with corrected compactness. It should be appreciated that two or more pressure indicators 272 can be incorporated to indicate the density of the tobacco leaves in the tobacco receiving cavity A11. For example, the first pressure indicator 272 will be activated to indicate the sufficient tobacco leaves being filled into the tobacco receiving cavity A11 with lighter compactness. The second pressure indicator 272 will be activated to indicate the more tobacco leaves being filled into the tobacco receiving cavity A11 with higher compactness. The first and second pressure indicators 272 are activated in responsive to the different pressures at the pusher end of the loading pusher 21. As a result, the user is able to selectively fill more or less tobacco leaves into the cigarette tube by the cigarette tobacco filler device.

It is worth mentioning that the pusher end of the loading pusher 21 will apply an uniform pressure on the tobacco leaves in order to evenly push the tobacco leaves into the tobacco receiving cavity A11 (tobacco cavity B11) of the cigarette tobacco filler device (cigarette tube injector). In addition, the pressuring sensor module 27 will ensure a corrected amount of tobacco leaves being fed into the tobacco receiving cavity A11 (tobacco cavity B11) of the cigarette tobacco filler device (cigarette tube injector). Unlike the conventional method of pushing tobacco leaves into the tobacco receiving cavity A11 (tobacco cavity B11) of the cigarette tobacco filler device (cigarette tube injector) by the fingers of the user, an uneven pressure will be applied on the tobacco leaves and an unknown amount of tobacco leaves being will be fed into the tobacco receiving cavity A11 (tobacco cavity B11) of the cigarette tobacco filler device (cigarette tube injector). Therefore, the cigarette tobacco loader of the present invention will ensure a uniform compressing pressure at the tobacco leaves to obtain a uniform compactness thereof and will ensure the constant and corrected amount of tobacco leaves to be injected into every single cigarette tube.

As shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, the cigarette tobacco loader further comprises a detachable arm 30 extended from the loader body 10 for detachably coupling with the cigarette tobacco filler device so as to ensure the loading opening 12 to be aligned with the tobacco receiving cavity A11 of the cigarette tobacco filler device. Accordingly, the detachable arm 30, which also forms as a lock arm, is pivotally coupled with the front side of the loader body 10, wherein the detachable arm 30 has a bottom clipping edge 31 detachably coupled at the bottom side of the cigarette tobacco filler device. It is worth mentioning that when the loader body 10 is detached from the cigarette tobacco filler device, the detachable arm 30 can be pivotally folded at the bottom side of the loader body 10 to cover and protect the loading opening 12 thereof, as shown in FIG. 17. When the loader body 10 is coupled to the cigarette tobacco filler device, the detachable arm 30 can be pivotally folded to form a battery compartment cover to cover and protect the battery compartment 271, as shown in FIG. 16.

It is worth mentioning that the cigarette tobacco loader can be built-in with the cigarette tobacco filler device to form an integrated structure. In addition, the cigarette tobacco loader can also be incorporated with the cigarette tube injector as shown in FIGS. 8 to 15 that the loader body 10 can be detachably coupled or integrated with the housing B10 of the cigarette tube injector to align the loading opening 12 with the tobacco cavity B11 of the cigarette tube injector. The structure of the cigarette tobacco loader will be the same to incorporate with the cigarette tube injector to load the tobacco leaves into the tobacco cavity B11 of the cigarette tube injector.

The present invention further provides a method loading the tobacco leaves into the tobacco receiving cavity A11 of the cigarette tobacco filler device by the cigarette tobacco loader, which comprises the following steps.

(1) Dispose the tobacco leaves in the loading cavity of the loader body 10 that the loading opening of the loader body is aligned with the tobacco receiving cavity A11 (tobacco cavity B11) of the cigarette tobacco filler device (cigarette tube injector).

(2) Normally remain the loading pusher 21 at the first position that the pusher end of the loading pusher 21 is positioned above the loading opening 12, such that the loading gap 210 is formed between the pusher end of the loading pusher 21 and the loading opening 12 of the loader body 10 for receiving the tobacco leaves within the loading gap 210.

(3) Move the loading pusher 21 from the first position to the second position that the pusher end of the loading pusher 21 is moved to pass through the loading opening 12 for pushing the tobacco leaves within the loading gap 210 into the tobacco receiving cavity A11 (tobacco cavity B11) of the cigarette tobacco filler device (cigarette tube injector). Accordingly, the loader handle 22 is pivotally and downwardly pushed by the manual pushing force to move the loading pusher 21 from the first position to the second position.

In the step (3), the feeder platform 24 is also concurrently driven to slide away from the loading opening 12 by the manual pushing force at the loader handle 22 when the loading pusher 21 is moved from the first position to the second position for enabling the pusher end of the loading pusher 21 to push the tobacco leaves within the loading gap 210 into the tobacco receiving cavity A11 (tobacco cavity B11) of the cigarette tobacco filler device (cigarette tube injector).

(4) Move the loading pusher 21 back to the first position from the second position, such that the tobacco leaves within the loading cavity 11 are dropped to the loading gap 210. Therefore, the tobacco leaves are dropped at the loading gap 210 and are ready to be pushed by the loading pusher 21 via the next pushing action. Accordingly, the loader handle 22 is pivotally and upwardly moved by the spring pushing force of the resilient element 26 to move the loading pusher 21 back to the first position from the second position.

In the step (4), the feeder platform 24 is also concurrently driven to slide toward the loading opening 12 by the spring pushing force of the resilient element 26 for pushing tobacco leaves to the loading gap 210 when the loading pusher 21 is moved back to the first position from the second position.

(5) Repeat the steps (3) and (4) until the tobacco leaves are filled in the tobacco receiving cavity A11 (tobacco cavity B11).

(6) Detecting the pressure applied by the pusher end of the loading pusher 21 on the tobacco leaves when the tobacco leaves are pushed into the tobacco receiving cavity A11 (tobacco cavity B11) of the cigarette tobacco filler device (cigarette tube injector). Once the tobacco receiving cavity A11 (tobacco cavity B11) is fully filled with the tobacco leaves, the pressure indicator 272 will be activated to indicate the sufficient tobacco leaves being filled into the tobacco receiving cavity A11 (tobacco cavity B11).

Accordingly, a switch 275 is provided to switch on and off the pressuring sensor module 27. In the step (3), when the loader handle 22 is started to pivotally and downwardly push by the manual pushing force to move the loading pusher 21 from the first position to the second position, the pressure indicator 272 will be activated, for example a green light, to show the operation of the loading pusher 21. Once the sufficient tobacco leaves is filled into the tobacco receiving cavity A11 (tobacco cavity B11) at corrected height/compactness, the pressure indicator 272 will be activated, for example an orange light, to show the corrected compactness of the tobacco leaves is filled into the tobacco receiving cavity A11 (tobacco cavity B11). In other words, when the pressure indicator 272 indicates the orange light, the user can stop operating the loader handle 22.

It is worth mentioning that for detachably coupling feature of the present invention, the user is able to detachably couple the cigarette tobacco loader on the cigarette tobacco filler device (cigarette tube injector) before the step (1) to ensure the loading opening 12 to be aligned with the tobacco receiving cavity A11 (tobacco cavity B11) of the cigarette tobacco filler device (cigarette tube injector).

One skilled in the art will understand that the embodiment of the present invention as shown in the drawings and described above is exemplary only and not intended to be limiting.

It will thus be seen that the objects of the present invention have been fully and effectively accomplished. The embodiments have been shown and described for the purposes of illustrating the functional and structural principles of the present invention and is subject to change without departure from such principles. Therefore, this invention includes all modifications encompassed within the spirit and scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. A cigarette tobacco loader for the cigarette tobacco filler device having a tobacco receiving cavity, comprising:

a loader body having a loading cavity for receiving a predetermined amount of tobacco leaves, and a loading opening arranged for aligned with the tobacco receiving cavity of the cigarette tobacco filler device;

a loader arrangement which comprises:

a loading pusher movably supported by said loader body to move between a first position that a pusher end of said loading pusher is positioned above said loading opening and a second position that said pusher end of said loading pusher is moved to pass through said loading opening; and

a loader handle pivotally coupled at said loader body to move said loading pusher between said first and second positions, such that when said loading pusher is retained at said first position, a loading gap is formed between said pusher end of said loading pusher and said loading opening of said loader body for receiving the tobacco leaves within said loading gap, and when said loading pusher is moved at said second position, said pusher end of said loading pusher is driven for pushing the tobacco leaves within said loading gap into the tobacco receiving cavity of the cigarette tobacco filler device.

2. The cigarette tobacco loader, as recited in claim 1, wherein said loading cavity has an inclined bottom wall for guiding the tobacco leaves dropping at said loading opening.

3. The cigarette tobacco loader, as recited in claim 2, wherein said loader arrangement further comprises a feeder platform movably supported on said inclined bottom wall of said loading cavity, wherein said feeder platform has a top stepping surface for pushing the tobacco leaves toward said loading opening.

4. The cigarette tobacco loader, as recited in claim 3, wherein said loader arrangement further comprises a driving mechanism operatively linked between said loader handle and said feeder platform, and arranged in such a manner that when said loader handle is pivotally moved to drive said loading pusher at said first position, said feeder platform is driven to slide toward said loading opening for pushing tobacco leaves to said loading gap, and when said loader handle is pivotally moved to drive said loading pusher at said second position, said feeder platform is driven to slide away from said to loading opening for enabling said pusher end of said loading pusher to push said tobacco leaves within said loading gap into the tobacco receiving cavity of the cigarette tobacco filler device.

5. The cigarette tobacco loader, as recited in claim 4, wherein said driving mechanism comprises a teething cog formed at said loader handle and a teething gear which is formed at a side edge of said feeder platform and is engaged with said teething cog, such that when said loader handle is pivotally moved, said feeder platform is driven to slide.

6. The cigarette tobacco loader, as recited in claim 1, wherein said loader arrangement further comprises a guiding slot formed at a sidewall of said loading cavity and a guiding axle sidewardly extended from said loading pusher to engage with said guiding slot, such that when said loader handle is pivotally moved, said guiding axle is driven to slide along said guiding slot so as to drive said loading pusher between said first and second positions.

7. The cigarette tobacco loader, as recited in claim 6, wherein said loader arrangement further comprises a retention slot formed at said sidewall of said loading cavity and a driving axle sidewardly extended from a driving end of said loading pusher to said loader handle through said retention slot, such that when said loader handle is pivotally moved, said driving axle is driven to slide along said retention slot so as to drive said loading pusher between said first and second positions, wherein said guiding axle is concurrently slid along said guiding slot to guide said loading pusher being moved between said first and second positions, wherein said retention slot is an arc-shaped through slot and said guiding slot is an inclined through slot, such that said loading pusher is inclinedly supported at said first position and is vertically retained at said second position.

8. The cigarette tobacco loader, as recited in claim 1, wherein said loader arrangement further comprises a resilient element coupled between said loader handle and said loader body for pulling said loader handle back so as to move said loading pusher back to said first position from said second position.

9. The cigarette tobacco loader, as recited in claim 1, wherein said loader arrangement further comprises a pressuring sensor module supported at said loader body for detecting a pressure applied by said pusher end of said loading pusher on the tobacco leaves when the tobacco leaves are pushed into the tobacco receiving cavity of the cigarette tobacco filler device.

10. The cigarette tobacco loader, as recited in claim 1, further comprising a detachable arm extended from said loader body for detachably coupling with the cigarette tobacco filler device so as to ensure said loading opening to be aligned with the tobacco receiving cavity of the cigarette tobacco filler device.

11. A method of loading tobacco leaves into a tobacco receiving cavity of a cigarette tobacco filler device by a cigarette tobacco loader which comprises a loader body and a loader arrangement, wherein the method comprises the steps of:

(a) disposing the tobacco leaves in a loading cavity of said loader body, wherein a loading opening of said loader body is aligned with the tobacco receiving cavity of the cigarette tobacco filler device;

(b) remaining a loading pusher of said loader arrangement at a first position that a pusher end of said loading pusher is positioned above said loading opening, such that a loading gap is formed between said pusher end of said loading pusher and said loading opening of said loader body for receiving said tobacco leaves within said loading gap;

(c) moving said loading pusher from said first position to a second position that said pusher end of said loading pusher is moved to pass through said loading opening for pushing said tobacco leaves within said loading gap into the tobacco receiving cavity of the cigarette tobacco filler device;

(d) moving said loading pusher back to said first position from said second position, such that said tobacco leaves within said loading cavity are dropped to said loading gap; and

(e) repeating the steps (c) and (d) until the tobacco leaves are filled in the tobacco receiving cavity.

12. The method, as recited in claim 11, wherein said loading pusher is moved between said first and second positions by a pivotal movement of a loader handle of said loader arrangement.

13. The method, as recited in claim 11, wherein said loading cavity has an inclined bottom wall for guiding said tobacco leaves dropping at said loading opening.

14. The method, as recited in claim 13, wherein the step (d) further comprises a step of pushing the tobacco leaves toward said loading opening by a feeder platform which has a top stepping surface, wherein said feeder platform is movably supported on said inclined bottom wall of said loading cavity, such that when said feeder platform is slid toward said loading opening, said top stepping surface of said feeder platform pushes the tobacco leaves toward said loading opening.

15. The method, as recited in claim 13, wherein said loading pusher and said feeder platform are concurrently moved by a pivotal movement of a loader handle of said loader arrangement.

16. The method, as recited in claim 14, wherein the step (c) further comprises a step of driving said feeder platform to slide away from said loading opening when said loading pusher is moved from said first position to said second position for enabling said pusher end of said loading pusher to push said tobacco leaves within said loading gap into the tobacco receiving cavity of the cigarette tobacco filler device, wherein the step (d) further comprises a step of driving said feeder platform to slide toward said loading to opening for pushing tobacco leaves to said loading gap when said loading pusher is moved back to said first position from said second position.

17. The method, as recited in claim 16, wherein said feeder platform is driven to slide toward said loading opening by a spring force.

18. The method, as recited in claim 16, wherein said loading pusher is driven to move from said second position back to said first position by a spring force.

19. The method, as recited in claim 11, further comprising a step of detecting a pressure applied by said pusher end of said loading pusher on the tobacco leaves when the tobacco leaves are pushed into the tobacco receiving cavity of the cigarette tobacco filler device.

20. The method, as recited in claim 11, before the step (a), further comprising a step of detachably coupling said cigarette tobacco loader on the cigarette tobacco filler device to ensure said loading opening to be aligned with the tobacco receiving cavity of the cigarette tobacco filler device.